Combine Gonzalez's outing with the ones authored the previous two days by Stephen Strasburg and Ross Detwiler, and then throw in Edwin Jackson's final inning on the mound Monday night in New York, and the Nationals rotation is currently riding a 19-inning scoreless streak.

Yes, that's 19 consecutive innings in which the opposition has failed to score against a Nats starter. Can't ask for much more than that.

And there's been nothing fluky about this streak. Detwiler, StrasburgRead more »

They have been fantastic and Nats fans are very encouraged about their prospects this season. Its intoxicating when thinking about adding ANY type of run production to this pitching. Every games is now a "must see" or at least listen. Thanks for your work, I enjoy it. Go Nats! Ps' I hear Ryan Zimmerman is to announce something today (non baseball related), do you know what it is?

Nice job of finessing the need to say anything flattering about E. Jackson. I don't know what his problem is but he hasn't showed anything positive since early in ST. Live arm, dead head? Still tipping pitches? He's riding the laser beam to the bullpen unless he turns it around in the next two-three starts.

Theo, I think Jackson will have a much longer slack than the two weeks you're giving him. And he wasn't that bad last time, better than Gio's first start–3 runs in 5 innings; not great, but not disaster, no-chance-to-come-back territory, either. I still think we'll see something like his normal season, and that's OK for the #4 starter here.

Even better, Strasburg, Zimmermann, Gonzalez and Detwiler are all under 27 and under contract through at least 2015. Theophilus: Jackson was just fine in his only start to date with the Nats. Scattered 4 hits and 2 BBs over five innings for a 1.20 WHIP, with six Ks. Made one big mistake and it came with a runner on base, but he was everything you'd want from a #4 starter and more. I think maybe Nats fans are getting a little spoiled by the performances by the other four guys in the rotation. If Jackson pitches like that 30 more times it'll be OK by me.

Jackson is who he is with a long track record- at best an average starting pitcher who had had two good years(2009 and 2011) in his six full years and owns a lifetime 4.50 ERA. Paying him $ 11 million when you laid out $ 5 million for John Lannan was a case of idiocy. Giving Detwiler a chance in the rotation was a very good call. Yet signing Jackson and Wang was foolish. It would have been better to start the season with a rotation of Strasburg, Zimmerman, Gonzalez, Detwiler and Lannan and then sign Oswalt in June when his children get out of school. If at that point Lannan was odd man out for two months, so be it.

Mark – Your comment about losing streaks is one that is key. Having that "stopper" in the rotation is vital. We've got at least 3 guys who can stop a losing streak on their own, plus two more that could/would be higher in a rotation that's not as deep as ours. Our pitching is why we have a serious chance at playing meaningful baseball into the fall. However, with our current offense, I will be stockpiling the Maalox. (That being said, I'm not sure I'd have done anything different on the offense considering this offseason's options.)

DFL:Every single expert I read thought it was a good deal. You call Jackson a pitcher with a "lifetime 4.50 ERA," but he hasn't been above that mark since 2007. Last year his ERA was 3.79. His ERA numbers over the last 2-3 seasons are impacted by pitching two hitter-friendly parks.He's a better than pitcher than Lannan by any reasonable measure. And if he struggles it doesn't have a negative impact on payroll because it's a one year deal, so it won't affect our ability to pay other deals. What exactly is the problem with a deal like this?It's incredible to me how some fans are so unable to be happy that they are forced to find something to complain about, no matter how far they have to stretch to do it.

DFL, not in agreement with you on EJax. Wait until the heat in June-July-August. Jackson will chug out those innings (of a higher quality than Livo at this stage of his career). Plus I think you have the competition factor–EJax is NOT going to want to be the odd man out. You have to compare Ejax not to Lannan, but to Marquis, another one-year free-agent signing. And if Ejax doesn't work out, you cut your losses, eat some salary and trade him to Boston, keep Wang and/or bring Lannan back up. If your No. 4 and 5 in the rotation can be above .500 that is all you can ask, and I believe we are in that situation. I don't believe we would be in that situation with Lannan.

Oh, and the Nats didn't voluntarily lay out $5 million for Lannan. They had no choice based on his recent statistics. That's how arbitration works. It's actually a positive thing that the front office didn't let that deter them from their quest to field a better team.

If memory serves, Marquis had a two-year deal.NatsLady said… DFL, not in agreement with you on EJax. Wait until the heat in June-July-August. Jackson will chug out those innings (of a higher quality than Livo at this stage of his career). Plus I think you have the competition factor–EJax is NOT going to want to be the odd man out. You have to compare Ejax not to Lannan, but to Marquis, another one-year free-agent signing. And if Ejax doesn't work out, you cut your losses, eat some salary and trade him to Boston, keep Wang and/or bring Lannan back up. If your No. 4 and 5 in the rotation can be above .500 that is all you can ask, and I believe we are in that situation. I don't believe we would be in that situation with Lannan. April 13, 2012 10:49 AM

Not jumping on DFL but I am another who thinks Jackson will prove to be an excellent #4 starter. NatsLady is right about him wanting to rise to the level of our other pitchers and the fact that this is a contract year for him leads me to believe that if he wants that one last long term contract, this is his year to shine. If Jackson were signed as our top guy, that would be a sign of trouble but as a number 4 guy its a tremendous signing.This is not a worry, but as good as Wang looked in spring training (especiallly the day of the injury) what do you people think the scenerio will look like when he returns. If Detwiler continues his dominance, how can you move him to the bullpen. You can't option anyone and I have read and reread that you don't go with a 6 man rotation. I have always preached you can't have enough pitching but now its come true. My guess is they do move Detwiler to the pen but have him available for spot starts as well.Go Nats!!

sjm308, my thought (on the previous post) was they platoon him for a few starts with Detwiler (3-4 innings for Wang) until Wang builds up his strength. Although they are both righties, they have vastly different styles.After a few rounds of the platoon, if still no starter is injured… punt? Six-man rotation has been discussed, but it messes with the other pitchers' routine. Maybe there will be rainouts (please, rain!) and doubleheaders and the problem will solve itself.

Agreed on the short-termer point. Possibly it seemed like a one-year contract because he was "brokeded" the first year. :-)NatsLady said… 1A, correct, Marquis was in the second-year of his two-year deal. $7.5 mill each year. Same thought, though. He was a short-termer in 2011. April 13, 2012 11:05 AM

This is not a worry, but as good as Wang looked in spring training (especiallly the day of the injury) what do you people think the scenerio will look like when he returns.Keep in mind than when a pitcher is coming off the DL he can go on a minor league rehab stint for nearly a month before he has to be re-activated. So whenever Wang is deemed "ready" he can be sent to Harrisburg or Syracuse to be stretched out there – which he will need to be, since he did not pitch much at all in spring training. The amount of time Wang spends on his rehab assignment will also be affected by how well Detwiler is pitching. The better Detwiler is, the longer Wang will spend rehabbing. Given the current announced timetable for Wang's return, Detwiler could be in the rotation almost until Memorial Day – and that's assuming Wang doesn't have any setbacks during his rehab.

Oh, and did we mention the guy who will take the ball tonight against the Reds (Jordan Zimmermann) is coming off a brilliant, seven-inning start of his own in which he allowed just one earned run …?That's one earned run more than the other starters during this streak, which, according to my calculator, is eleventy-seven jillion skillion percent more than the other guys. Zimmermann's a bum.

Speaking of positive things…Could anyone here not join in the almost school-boyish glee Gio had when he saw he had his first big league hit?Man that guy has just a great personality. I'm glad we get to keep him for a while.

Hope you guys are reading this…Nationals Park Opening Day Experience Grade-F1. Went to 3 different Guest Services stations regarding my missing Rewards Card (new season tickets) and nobody had a clue. Best answer received was…call your sales rep.2. Asked an usher how to get to the Stars and Stripes Club and he told us that we had to exit the stadium and enter from the street on the 1st Base Side. This was obviously not the case!!!3. TV in Section 135 is broken.4. Scoreboard stopped working in 6th inning (Balls and Strikes Scoreboard) and since we were under the overhang and couldn't see the scoreboard, and also had a broken TV, often lost track of the count.5. Ordered a beer, hot dog, and a coke…took 10 minutes and 2 different managers(both of which had no teeth) to figure it out (this was all after we had ordered). 6. Couldn't hear a thing from the band before the game from section 135…not exactly the nosebleeds…honestly thought they had stopped playing 7. CF team store closed on Opening Day???8. Walked to other team store and had to wait 15 minutes to get into the store and still wasn't allowed to use season ticket discount because my rewards card never came in the mail.You can't make this stuff up!!!

Dear Nationals Management said… 2. Asked an usher how to get to the Stars and Stripes Club… 3. TV in Section 135 is broken. 6. Couldn't hear a thing from the band before the game from section 135…I'm confused. Don't you need club seats to get admission to S&S club?

The rotation, and the bullpen for that matter, is the reason we can be patient with our lineup's lack of production. We're 5-2, alone atop the NL East, and Ryan Zimmerman is hitting .192/.333/.269. Imagine that. With this rotation, we should be able to avoid losing streaks, and also get some winning streaks going. Gio was sensational yesterday. My favorite part of his outing (other than his first basehit) was 0 BBs. That as much as anything else is a great harbinger of future success. Loved his Ks of Joey Votto too. Is this the latest in the season that we've been in first place since 2005?

A great day at the Park!I love this pitching staff, love that all the guys throw hard. It amazing knowing that you get out of inning with no runs scored, with a guy on third with less than two outs (because of the strike out arther than the luck of the double play). I think this going to be a very enjoyable season despite the injuries.To add to Stadium Management complain, I always get the bottomless popcorn (the kids loved it). I waited in a long line and they almost didn't give me a refill. I worked it out,m but if that happened,I would have been real mad. Lucky someone just did what was needed and gave me more popcorn.

Don't like beating a dead horse but Jackson's already had his contract year, and nobody in the ML was willing to give him a multi-year deal. Possibly because LaRussa made it clear he wasn't going to let Jackson get near the ball in a deciding game of the WS. GMs have common understandings about players around the league that never reach the level of public discussion. Jackson is now on his seventh team (eight, if you count the Blue Jays), sixth in five years, no one wants him as anything except a rental, and every other team passed on him during the last off season. That ought to speak volumes, and it's not glowing.He probably gets a longer leash than I'd be willing to give him, mostly because I don't believe Wang will be back end-of-April as promised. But he's a high-priced gamble and between him and Lannan there's not that much to choose.

Didn't have a bad Park experience but it could be improved.(1) Still have not received red card, but used the 20% discount coupon for a sweater-jacket and Bob Carpenter scorebook.(2) Yes, the main store was not open, but they were very polite in the big store underground which has been renovated, knew exactly what I wanted (the scorebook) and some were delivered as I waited.(3) No problem with the food, I got mine after the ceremony during the first pitch. I know better than to wait, and I got mine near my seat (304). There will be less crowded time to get the food at the Scoreboard walk.(4) I had no problem parking since I took Metro, but the guy next to me said online the parking lots all look like they are pay lots (which they are not). He finally found a lot where you can pay and park–I know where those lots are.(5) Waited in line to exchange tickets. They only have one place and they are going to have a lot more season ticket holders, there MUST be a better system. (You can mail in but that seems chancy to me). I waited in line twice during the Boston game but gave up. I was early so the line wasn't too long (about 15 mins), but it got longer and longer and when I was done it looked like at least a 45 minute wait. It was noisy and the guy made a mistake on my exchange but he corrected it right away.As usual (in my experience) there was an abundance of staff who were unfailingly polite and as helpful as they were able to be. My same ushers from last year were back and it was fun seeing them again. Good times.Bottom line– get your food early and figure out where the parking lots are.

Re: the parking. The guy who couldn't find parking had been to a lot of ballparks and rated them for me (Nats Park not high). RFK was definitely better, but it was built that way. If you have ever been to Wrigley, well, I don't know if parking there is better or worse, but it's certainly unique! Wrigley is in a residential neighborhood and the locals stand in the street and direct you down alleys to their private garages. They are very friendly and often wait up for you after the game to chat.

NatsLady said… DFL, not in agreement with you on EJax. Wait until the heat in June-July-August. Jackson will chug out those innings (of a higher quality than Livo at this stage of his career). Plus I think you have the competition factor–EJax is NOT going to want to be the odd man out. You have to compare Ejax not to Lannan, but to Marquis, another one-year free-agent signing. And if Ejax doesn't work out, you cut your losses, eat some salary and trade him to Boston, keep Wang and/or bring Lannan back up. If your No. 4 and 5 in the rotation can be above .500 that is all you can ask, and I believe we are in that situation. I don't believe we would be in that situation with Lannan. April 13, 2012 10:49 AM _____________________________If EJax didn't give up that 2 run HR to the Mets catcher, everyone would have praised him. He had a good game going. He made a couple of mistake pitches and this isn't A ball, you make a mistake to any hitter and he can get smashed out.If anyone judged Gio from his 1st start, shame on you. Gio's adjustments are more defined to new ballparks, new hitters, and NL rules. EJax just needs to do exactly what he did in St. Louis. The question will be, is EJax a #4 pitcher or a #5 pitcher on this staff?

I'm confused. Don't you need club seats to get admission to S&S club?STH get a couple of passes to visit the Stars and Stripes club for a game day. They can be used any time during the season. A seat in the club sections is not included, which means you can buy food in the club (not any better than anywhere else in the ballpark, if you ask me), sit at the tables or in the lounge chairs if you can find one, and soak up the AC. You can see the field from the inside of the club, but not well enough to actually watch the game from there.I'm not clear on why this whining STH felt the need to exercise all of his rewards and perks on Opening Day. That's actually the worst time to do it. Even in the club there would be crowds and long lines for food and the bathroom. The Team Store is not going to sell out of anything on Opening Day, and if they do they'll restock. No need to get the physical Red Carpet Rewards card on Opening Day either, because you can get all your rewards tickets online without it. If this guy really is a STH, he will be back in the ballpark many times over the rest of the season, which will provide plenty of chances to reap his rewards when it's not so crowded.

Dear "Dear Nationals Management" — You were in a baseball park on Opening Day instead of at work. And the Nats won on your first day in your new season seats. Count your blessings.As for your RCR card, call your Nats ticket rep. He or she will have it mailed to you, or they will email you to let you know that you can pick it up at Guest Services. (I picked mine up yesterday after receiving such an email.) Expecting Guest Services to be able to produce your RCR card with no advance notice is a bit much. But keep your receipt from what you bought yesterday. Your rep might be able to arrange for your discount to be credited to you. They are really helpful if you ask nicely.Also, feel free not to come back if you hated the experience so much.

Anon@ 12:01, that's the way I felt, too. Glad you mentioned the AC in the Stars and Stripes club because that gives me a good idea when to use my passes. It's not going to be a sellout every game (I don't think) so I'll sample the new food items other days… Planning to bring friends to the Philly games, but they are vegetarians so no Strasburger for us.

Theophilus I don't know where you get your information but I was under the impression that Jackson received offers for three-year deals but he rejected them in favor of the one year deal with the Nats, hoping to prove himself so he could sign a longer deal after the season.Why don't you at least wait until he actually has a bad start for the Nats before you badmouth him? The fact is, he was a very good starter for all of 2011 and had a good outing in his first start as a National. Cut the guy a break. We're 5-2, are you really so desperate for negativity that you need to trash our #4 starter and his 1.20 WHIP and 3/1 strikout to walk ratio in his only start? Keep in mind that his is a guy who chose the Nats above other options. And our front office chose him. Certainly they've earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to choosing starting pitchers.

Liked all the guys who went to Oakland, for Gio… But this guy is Special!! Really good pitcher, but it's hard to put a price on that smile, and all that positive energy!!! There'll be no moody brooding in THIS dugout. Kudos, Rizzo!

Fox:From the previous thread, THANK YOU for bringing up Jeff Reboulet! I totally forgot how Davey used him against Randy Johnson. I remember Jeff would get some pesky hit against him and the Unit would just fume on the mound. I always worried that some day he would uncork a pitch and nail Jeff in the head just out of pure frustrations!And Orosco.. Maybe Burnett (he being a lefty)can fill that role. I don't want Clipps arm to fall off.

The most encouraging thing to me is that four of these starters will be together for a long time. That means they'll still be here when a handful of promising bats emerge.Beyond Harper and Rendon, Goodwin was dominating in the early going. Eury Perez and Destin Hood are off to good starts in AA. Michael Taylor, Kevin Keyes and Matt Skole show promise — and Martinson has some pop.As for the pitchers, while we hope Solis and Purke return to full strength and Meyer and Turnbull get acclimated, Danny Rosenbaum goes about his business of becoming the Nats' next Tommy Milone. He already has one fine start and a win on the books.

Some good comments, Insiders. I enjoyed reading all the positive comments.After reading MicheleS's comment yesterday that MASN was replaying yesterday's game, I stopped the blogging and turned the game on. I especially enjoyed re-watching the game since I knew we won. Thanks for the headsup, MicheleS.

A little off topic. Corey Brown singled and walked twice last night and is hitting .400. I know. The season's early. Tyler Moore blasted two homers. I've been a skeptic about Moore because he draws so few walks for a power hitter yet he hits for power and average at every level. He already has four homers and is hitting .320 with a .379 OBP. Moore seems ready but is seemingly trapped in Syracuse.On another note, Rick Ankiel went 1-3 in Syracuse while Bryce Harper went 0-4 and is hitting .222 with no homers and one RBI. Ankiel will join the Nats shortly. It could be that Brown and Moore may get to Washington before Harper. If so, that is a sign of organizational strength.

Drew, good points on the kids on the Farm. Its taken 6+ years of Drafts, trades and MiLB free agent signings to put together some real talent in both the Majors and Minors. As you will see in the post-steroid era, there are late-bloomers who will come into their own as they fill out their frames. Not everyone is a stud at 15 like Bryce Harper. Some find it at 19 or 20 like Stephen Strasburg and some even later. Also, don't forget the value of great player development. Guys like Tommy Milone and Brad Peacock are products of good scouting and development.

And lest I forget….let me put it in writing…Werth is hitting!!!And so many teams need a Lannan type starter…so many teams need one good closer (we have at least two when Storen comes back)….Nats are in the catbird seat….good to explore trade options to make the lineup, bench, defense stronger with a speedy outfielder to replace Bernadina/DeRosaWhat does the lineup look like on July 4 assuming all goes well:Desmond SSEspinosa 2BZimmerman 3BLaRoche 1BMorse LFWerth RFHarper CFRamos CBench: Lombardozzi,Flores, Tracey, Ankiel, DeRosa/Bernadina?Not bad, Of course, the above is a best case scenario. Still desirable to look for possibility to strength the bench/platoon/late inning defense with a speedy outfielder.

I have faith that the Nats' position players,as a group, will soon challenge the Nats' pitchers for team contribution, even without The Beast.They're doing it in the field, now they have to do it in the batter's box.

Dear Nationals Management said… Hope you guys are reading this…I hope you sent it to them, and didn't just post it here in the hope they're paying attention. If OTOH you came here looking for sympathy, that appears to have been a miscalculation. Just sayin.

Could anyone here not join in the almost school-boyish glee Gio had when he saw he had his first big league hit?It usually takes a few months for me to really warm up to a new player, for Gio, it didn't take long at all.All smiles

UnkyD said…Liked all the guys who went to Oakland, for Gio… But this guy is Special!! Really good pitcher, but it's hard to put a price on that smile, and all that positive energy!!! There'll be no moody brooding in THIS dugout.Just one more reason it'll be a giant ball full of happy when Beast Mode gets back. Joy for the game like those two guys have has to be good in the dugout and the clubhouse. That was what I liked so much about Nyjer until he became a head case (he's off to a miserable 2012 start, BTW).

I'm a little late late to the conversation about yesterday's game, but my impressions: 1) It seems like overnight this team has turned into some pitch-taking fools. I love it!2) Stammen's performance made my jaw drop, which is saying something after Gio's performance.Also, maybe we can match the creativity of the Willie Harris thread from 4 years ago:Gio's smile is so bright, it can save us electricity at night games. =)

and while we're on the subject, you couldn't hear a brass band on the field? Would that be during the part where they were playing softly, while the flag got straightened out before unfurling? Cuz they were playing softly. I was in 111, reasonably close, and my hearing is ok.

Here is one thing I like about Gio's personality, he just lights up that dugout. Let's face it, our bullpen guys are a loose bunch (Changing the Lotto numbers in Philly!), but sometimes our starters seem wound a little too tight. I think Gio will keep them in stitches on the days they are not pitching.And that 0 BB line is really impressive since that was considered his weakness!GO NAT GIO!PS.. Sonny your welcome on the MASN Replay. Back in the dark ages before the TV Guide channel, remote controls, and 500 channels, I actually memorized the TV schedule so that I could tell my Dad what was on TV and avoid having to stand in front of it and flip the channel so he could make a decision on what to watch. He always said the reason he had kids was to change channels and do yard work. Thank god for the Remote or my Mother would have killed him when we left the house!

Sofa, I was in Section 108 and probably back around 30 rows and I couldn't hear them at all. Just sayin, the accoustics in the stadium may not be that good..Oh and as for food lines, like NatsLady, i go early or like others I bring my own. I actually brought in an entire gourmet meal last year (in small plastic containers) and the people that checked my bag laughed and said that they were jealous!

NatsLady and others. Not sure if this was answered in the previous post or not. You had asked how the Nats could win a game and their chances of making the playoffs go down. As an accountant that answer is simple. I'm not sure what the formula is for them to find that percent, but you have to take into consideration not only what the Nats do, but what the other 28 teams the Nats aren't playing do as well. So for instance if they had picked 5 teams ahead of the Nats to make the playoffs for 5 spots, and all 5 of those teams won the same day the Nats win, the Nats chances would go down because that is one less game to play on the schedule and one less game for the Nats to make up ground on the other teams. The only way the Nats percentage will increase is if they not only win but other teams ranked ahead of them loose. The percentage would work similar to the magic number you hear at the end of the year. When it's a combination of wins for the team ahead and losses for the team chasing. That's why winning alone won't necessarily make their playoff chances any better. And could even make it worse.Hope I explained that good enough and didn't confuse anyone.

jeffwx said… And lest I forget….let me put it in writing…Werth is hitting!!!_______________________I am a Werth guy, but I don't really agree. His batting average says he is hitting but 3 of his hits have been squeakers and seeing eye hits just like that 10th inning single out of the reach of the shortstop. Too small a sample size.Werth was BASHING in Viera!4 guys are hitting: Desmond, LaRoche, Flores and Ramos, oh and lest I forget Gio!

I generally bring snacks and water, and on occasion I bring a sandwich. If I'm eating at the park, I tend to get there early and eat before the game starts. That way I don't have to worry about missing any action during the game, and I don't get mustard all over my scoresheet. Also, gourmet meal? I want to sit with MicheleS.

MicheleS said…I actually memorized the TV schedule so that I could tell my Dad what was on TV and avoid having to stand in front of it and flip the channel so he could make a decision on what to watch. He always said the reason he had kids was to change channels and do yard work.That was my fatal error. I married Cunegonde for the same reasons. Then I found out she hates yard work…

As someone who has Club Level season tickets in the past, the best thing I can tell you is have those S&S Passes with you ever game & next time your there during a rain delay head staight up there. That club level is gold during the rain..

jeffwx said… GoNat….I also like that Werth is taking pitches (9 walks tied for Nats lead).Nats the lead story on MLB network right now:CMW…several weeks awayAnkiel to replace Bernadina when he returns. April 13, 2012 1:16 PM ____________________________Werth and Zim are still finding ways to get on base as well as Danny E. and Desi is hitting his way on. LaRoche is taking advantage of multiple guys on base and not missing the opportunity -you- still need guys to knock them in. Depending on walks w/ bases loaded, wild pitches w/ guys on 3rd and Sac Flies aren't the most effective ways to score runs.Bernadina made 3 loud outs yesterday. He looks poised to get hot but unfortunately he will be unseeded by Ankiel this weekend.

You can only eat so many Half Smokes All The Way, and the lines for Shake Shack are often too intimidating, so kudos to the Nats for permitting food and bottled water (especially on a hot day) to be brought into the Park. I've read (though I didn't have a chance to check it out yesterday) that there is a Food Truck Court between M and N Streets. Food trucks aren't cheap, but they are comparable to the cost of ballpark food, and have oh so much more variety.Combining two of my favorite pasttimes — baseball and food trucks — was a brilliant idea.

Section 3, My PFB Sofa said… and while we're on the subject, you couldn't hear a brass band on the field? Would that be during the part where they were playing softly, while the flag got straightened out before unfurling? Cuz they were playing softly.I was in 142, behind the band, and I could hear that they were playing softly. But I couldn't tell what it was they were playing, which I assume was the point of having them out there in the first place. If they weren't going to mic the band, they should have had a bigger band or an all-brass band. That band yesterday was too woodwind heavy. As a former clarinet player in HS marching band, I know that woodwinds in an unamplified band playing outdoors are there for visual purposes only. They might as well have played a recording and faked it. That way people could have heard it, and most of them wouldn't have known the difference anyway.

I went to Shake Shack at about 10:45, and the lines weren't there yet, but they were still unlocking cash registers, and it took the longest time, maybe 5 minutes, to get a Chicago Dog. OK once I got it, though. Candide, it's the onions. She'll get used to it.

I am a Werth guy, but I don't really agree. His batting average says he is hitting but 3 of his hits have been squeakers and seeing eye hits just like that 10th inning single out of the reach of the shortstop. Too small a sample size.Werth was BASHING in Viera!I'm not much of a Jayson "House-by-the-side-of-the-road" Werth guy, myself, but the fact that he was indeed hitting in Fla. makes me feel much better about the ball finding hits on his behalf now. They all count, and he should start squaring them up eventually if they keep falling in on their own long enough. Assuming he swings the fricken bat!

And if Ejax doesn't work out, you cut your losses, eat some salary and trade him to Boston, keep Wang and/or bring Lannan back up.Well before that happens you'll see one of Stammen or Gorzelanny in the rotation … Wang and Detwiler are currently sharing a spot. Lannan has dug a hole that he can't get out of and its in AAA until he is traded or non-tendered. We'll see if Lannan can do a better job than Maya. Maya got hammered for five runs last night … can Lannan do better because right now Mitch Atkins looks a lot better … as does Tanner Roark.

The percentage would work similar to the magic number you hear at the end of the year. When it's a combination of wins for the team ahead and losses for the team chasing. They aren't chasing any teams right now … they are in first place so I'm afraid that logic doesn't quite cut it.Again it has to do with the sample size growing … the accuracy of the probability of making the playoffs (because that is what it is … not a percentage but an area under a curve) increases. Moving from a t distribution to a Z-score as time goes by … as the number of games increase the accuracy of the positioning of the median and the critical points increases … and yes, the other teams are measured with the same dichotomous population of W or L. The percentage or probability can go up or down as the picture becomes clearer. But right now the sample size is small so the picture is pretty fuzzy.

Drew, 'Beyond Harper and Rendon, Goodwin was dominating in the early going. Eury Perez and Destin Hood are off to good starts in AA.' Really? Goodwin had like 3 good games before he got hurt; hardly qualifies as dominating. Destin Hood is hitting like .150. Let's temper the enthusiasm a little bit.

BTW as for Wally's continuing insistence that they need some old almost washed up Angels in the outfield …Tyler Moore has already hit 4 home runs and its VERY EARLY. And they have come with men on base. Corey Brown is walking, not striking out, and hitting almost .344 from the lead-off spot and playing superlative CF. According to Davey Johnson Chris Marerro was major league ready and a major league bat and the reason he reached out to Mark DeRosa was Marerro's injury in winter ball. Well the much younger Bryce Harper is hitting around .240 but history shows that it takes him a bit of time to adjust to a new league … once he does he usually rakes.Then there's AA where Jeff Kobernus already has a 6 game hitting streak is hitting almost .400 and has 5 SB's. Already. Eury Perez is right behind him. They have major league players already in their system. Players Davey Johnson has been watching and monitoring since he was brought on board as a consultant. These are players he knows pretty well. Players who are young enough to be with the team for years, but if not and if developed properly worth a lot more in trade than the over-the-hill gang Wally suggests if they are brought up to the majors.However, Adam LaRoche must know he is trade bait … if Tyler Moore keeps hitting the way he is hitting. Remember, this is a guy who has hit over 30 home runs in the last two minor league levels A+ and AA. It appears he is about to do the same thing in AAA. He now has 66 home runs in slightly more than 2 years. The advantage 30+ LaRoche has? He's a left handed power bat with a pretty decent glove. Tyler Moore is right handed but he has improved his fielding and athleticism. He worked pretty hard on improving his speed afoot during the offseason and a part of that was changing his diet … I expect Lombardozzi will be optioned when Ankiel returns. That will place another player close to major league ready in the minors. There's no room for ancient angels in the outfield.

I was more then a little upset when I got home the night of the Gio trade.I got over it pretty quickly. The kid is gold. Great start all around for the team.As to opening day, though I am thankful to be able to go to an opener,I felt like we got pretty trashed by the Nats. We renewed our partial plan for our same seats as soon as we were able to. Our normal seats are below the press box in sec.311 except for the exibition game and for the opener, which is okay except they moved us for the opener to sec.138, behind the bullpen in row V, which is so far back under cover that you can't see the ball on high flys. I knew we were in trouble when I saw the TV monitors, which only worked some of the time. Combine that with the scoreboards being out for most of the late innings, and it was hard to keep track of what was happening. Also we were about as far from homeplate as you could be.But at least we got to go. We should have just moved up to the $5 grandstand seats..GYFNG!

Mississippi Snopes said… By far the best food at Nats Park is the shawarma sandwich (with hot sauce) at the Kosher Grill. And there is rarely a line at all there. But uummm … don't tell anybody, okay?The only problem with the Kosher Grill is that it's closed Friday and Saturday for the sabbath. But on the plus side, there are never any lines then.

Ankiel to replace Bernadina when he returns.As the starter? Probably. We'll have to see. Ankiel supplants one of Carroll or Lombardozzi. Lombardozzi still has options and he isn't playing enough. My guess is Lombo gets optioned. I suspect this lineup will be somewhat different after the All Star break.

Detwiler is a LH pitcher.I hate to nitpick, but NatsLady has said this twice, no one has corrected her, and I know she would not want to be misleading:April 13, 2012 11:05 AM NatsLady said… sjm308, my thought (on the previous post) was they platoon him for a few starts with Detwiler (3-4 innings for Wang) until Wang builds up his strength. Although they are both righties, they have vastly different styles.

I agree. Lombardozzi never was going to get 300 ABs with an infield of Espinosa, Desmond and Zimmerman. Barring injury, this trio should start 150+ games each. De Rosa can play second and third when one sits and Espinosa and Desmond cover for each other at short. Lombardozzi should go to Syracuse to get playing time….unless it is Espinsoa who gets sent down.

I think Nady may get optioned. He is the most likely to pass through waivers, and while Lombo and Carroll do have options, one is our only middle infield bench player, and the other is the emergency catcher and potential RH platoon in CF if/when Ankiel can't hit LH pitching.Nady is redundant when LaRoche is healthy and you have DeRosa already backing up LF and 1B (plus 3B which I don't recall Nady playing)Not to mention he's not hitting yet.

Someone mentioned Lannan's recent shelling in his first game at Syracuse. I would have predicted it as he has experienced some mental trauma recently. Lannan being demoted must have created as much anguish as when a husband comes home from work and finds his wife in his bed with another man. I expect Lannan to pitch much better his next turn.

i would like to see the hitters pull the ball more and hit more line drives,it seems like most players on this team only pull breaking balls with any power,it seems like the good hitters swing hard all the time,i see a lot of akward swings out of this lineup.*this is a side note,if you go to google images and look at home run swings at the point of contact,the swings all look the same regardless of the hitter,stuff like the back elbow being at a 90 degree angle and close to the body,ect

Anon 2:08 and anyone else- Can Tyler Moore play the outfield? Looks to me like he's been a 1B his entire career. I think Corey Brown is a much more likely callup as a stopgap measure until the return of Morse and the arrival of Harper. If Nady and DeRosa don't turn it around I would not be surprised to see him relatively soon.

Who goes to make room for Ankiel was a big topic of discussion in our section yesterday. Lombo has options and Davey wanted to get him 300 ABs this year, but has found a spot in the lineup for him once in the first seven games. Might make sense to send him down until Desi, Espi, and Zim need some days off. On the other hand, he's the only middle infielder on the bench and Davey has used him as a PH more than he's used Carroll. Carroll is a good pinch runner and late inning defender, but Bernadina can fill that role from the bench. My guess is that it's probably Carroll who's the first of the goon squad to be let go. Why would Davey be starting Bernadina now, only to release him when Ankiel comes back? Same with Nagy. They'll survive until Morse is ready and forces another choice.

No need to apologize, NatsLady. While Det being LH and Wang being RH lends more weight to your idea, I don't think Davey will try to get cute with his starters. Wang will continue to rehab as long as they can possibly get away with it, or until another starter goes down or implodes (God forbid!)

One of those who didn't like the trade for Gio. Even in just his 2nd game, I'd make this trade 10 times over. This guy is a freak of a pitcher, so Is Strasburg, Zimmerman, Ejax and Detwiler. They're like freaking Zombies, they keep coming at you and you can't stop them…

Squiggy, well, Davey being cute is Davey being Davey, but I take your point. Interestingly, as I was reviewing Detwiler compared to Wang I noticed that Detwiler is developing and using a sinker effectively, and of course that's Wang's signature pitch.Also it was remarked that Clipp is working on a cutter–the next Mariano Rivera? I remember in an interview Clipp talked about constantly trying to improve. And Karabell has come around to my point of view, yesterday calling him probably the best setup man in MLB. (That is after him and KLaw making fun of me for saying that last year–vindication is MINE! OK, and Clipp's, too.)

JD,While Destin Hood is only hitting .152 so far, the encouraging thing is that he has 7 RBIs in Harrisburg's first eight games. We know he's a fine athlete — recruited to play football for Alabama — the question is whether he'll develop into a run producer.As for Goodwin, in his first five games at Hagerstown he had two homers, eight RBIs, five walks, two stolen bases and was reaching base at a .524 clip. To me that qualifies as a dominant performance "in the early going."As for tempering my enthusiasm, after waiting nearly 50 years for quality baseball in Washington — including our 33 years in the wilderness — I don't think I will.

UNTERP said… One of those who didn't like the trade for Gio. Even in just his 2nd game, I'd make this trade 10 times over. This guy is a freak of a pitcher, so Is Strasburg, Zimmerman, Ejax and Detwiler. They're like freaking Zombies, they keep coming at you and you can't stop them… April 13, 2012 3:00 PM ___________________________I didn't like the trade when it happened for a couple of reasons—-I believed 2 of those prospects could have landed the Nats a top CF on July 31st and not emptied so much of the Minors. I believed the team could have gone into the season with Stras, JZim, Wang, Det, Lannan, Milone, Peacock and signed a player like Joe Saunders, Oswalt or EJax through Free Agency just to have the flexibility. It wasn't the pitching that was broken last year, it was the hitting.I always hope to eat my words and Gio may just prove to be another Ace to be trio (Stras, JZim, Gio) like the Phillies have.

I think it was Boswell who wrote a column last week about how exciting it would be to watch the Nats this year because every single night they put a starter on the mound who can do something special. For all the frustrations with the offense, this pitching staff is just phenomenal.

Thanks to all for answering my question. I like Phil's brothers take the best and will bank on that. Wanted to chip in on the Stars & Stripes. I have learned a couple things in the years they have included those tickets with our package. 1. While a poster was correct that there is not an assigned seat, if you go to a game that is not sold out and are patient the ushers will usually let you sit by the 2nd or 3rd inning, especially if you let them know what you wish to do. 2. Tcosant is correct, I always carry those tickets in case its a rain delay 3. Best deal is to NOT use one of your game tickets but to scalp a ticket on the street for $5 and use that ticket. They don't care what ticket you have, they just want to see that Stars & Stripes ticket with it. 4. Learned last year that if you have your spousal equivalent with you and she smiles, you can get two people in on one of the Stars & Stripes ticket. (they give you two per season ticket)My spousal equivalent will now only go if I promise to use the Stars & Stripes ticket.Between that, the red carpet rewards and the 20% off at the team store the Nationals have done well in my opinion to make a season ticket package worthwhile.(my son & I will see a total of 34 games for the price of 20). It's not a perfect park but my rep is tremendous and everyone else I have dealt with has been helpful and terrific as well.Go Nats!!

They said I could upgrade to two tix for a 20 game plan. I can't find a 20 game plan however. Otherwise, I'd be glad to give up the 2 tix (sect. 1110-135) for the Sat. games against the O's, Yanks, Marlins, Mets and a game of your choice.